I know what carnation is saying - maybe XYZ is where so and so is meant to be, but when XYZ has 75 legacies with 4.0's come through the door, it might not matter. It's like if I see a sweater in the store that is perfect for me - if there are 10 of it in the store, and the other 10 people who want that sweater come in before me, I'm screwed. And it has nothing to do with me personally.

As far as joining "weak" chapters, or chapters that look like they are going to fold - it is all in what you want. I know some women who joined chapters that closed the semester after they pledged, and they wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING. They still found sisterhood and lasting friendships. It's like that line in Steel Magnolias - "I'd rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." However, there are women who only want social position and prestige out of a sorority experience. And if that's all you are looking at groups with, you're a user, and a loser. If you want to be in a sorority that just happens to be the most prestigious on campus - because that's who you like the most and feel comfortable with - fine. But I'd like to know how many of these women in the "big 5" or whatever are really happy and close with their sisters, and how many of them are just sucking up their real selves because of the prestige. That's the women the NPC system is supposed to weed out, but unfortunately it doesn't always.